Timeform Weekend Review: Nacarat out of Cheltenham

Weekend Review / Timeform / 23 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

Timeform reflect on a weekend of racing which offered pointers for Cheltenham punters...

The Racing Post Chase was the feature race on Kempton's Saturday card and winning trainer Tom George revealed that Nacarat will not head to Cheltenham, but that Aintree would come under consideration. Hebridean was another winner on the card unlikely to be heading to Cheltenham in a fortnight's time. Paul Nicholls' charge recorded a five length victory over Saticon in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle whilst the Dovecote Novices' Hurdle saw Trenchant overturn odds-on favourite Ainama.

At Chepstow, Bob Bob Bobbin registered his first success since 2006 with a comfortable ten length success over Foreman in the veterans' handicap chase whilst Newcastle's Eider Chase went to the Timmy Murphy ridden Merigo. The star of the all-weather this winter has arguably been Matsunosuke, and the seven-year old registered his fifth success of the campaign when getting up in the latter stages to deny Duff in the Cleves Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday whilst later on the card Marco Botti's Re Barolo set himself up for a tilt at the Winter Derby after winning the Listed Winter Derby Trial Stakes.

An undoubted highlight of Sunday's fixtures was Lough Derg's victory in Fontwell's Grade 2 National Spirit Hurdle. He looked better than ever when typically responding most generously to get to the front again after the last and was well on top at the finish. He's more likely this season to give his running in the World Hurdle, but connections can hardly be aggrieved if a finish in the frame is the best he can manage there given the service he's done for them.